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Byrnes to bring a little Irish folk to the wee folk

Richard Carter, Special to the Times Record News
Published 10:08 a.m. CT March 7, 2017 | Updated 3:49 p.m. CT March 10, 2017

Martin Byrnes will add a traditional Irish folk feel to the St. Patrick's Day Downtown Street Festival this weekend.(Photo: Contributed by the Iron Horse Pub)

Martin Byrnes, from County Limerick in Ireland, is Irish born and bred and will perform at his sixth St. Patrick's Day Downtown Street Festival March 11.

He will play a solo show 3:30 p.m. on the outdoor stage in the parking lot at Eighth and Indiana streets, then will take over the indoor stage inside the neighboring Iron Horse Pub at 8:30 p.m.

Other bands on the outdoor stage include headliner Bowling for Soup at 8:45 p.m., No Limits at 5 p.m. and bigloo at 7:15 p.m. AA Bottom and Erick Willis will perform inside the pub, with Willis hitting the stage at 6 p.m. and AA Bottom at 10 p.m.

Pub owner Danny Ahern said, “I’ve known Martin since I was 9. I used to see him play with a rock band called Merciful Hour. All of his family are musicians, and he’s from the same town as my mother.”

Ahern even attended school with Byrnes' nephews.

Ahern first booked Byrnes about 10 years ago, when the Irishman was a member of Ireland’s Call. The group played the festival twice more. After Byrnes left the group, he continued to play for downtown's St. Patrick’s Day festivities three times as a solo artist, most recently in 2015.

Leading up to the St. Paddy's Day fete, he will helm some pop up shows at coffee shops and one at Ben Franklin Elementary School “to spread some education about the Irish music and culture,” Ahern said.

His final performance at the pub will be an informal solo show 5:30 p.m. March 13.

Byrnes didn’t start playing until he was 10 years old, despite coming from a long line of musicians.

“They played traditional and Irish folk. I started guitar and banjo when I was 10 and was playing pubs when I was 15.”

He also is adept at mandolin, despite having very thick fingers, Byrnes said with a laugh. His other job is working as a diesel mechanic, an interesting occupation for a man who spends a lot of time as a session musician.

He has recorded one CD, “A True Born Irishman” (1999), and said he’s halfway through a second album, which is set for a Christmas 2017 release.

Despite his reputation as a session man, he said, “At the moment, I am more of a singer-songwriter. I would call myself a folk singer entertainer. I would love to be playing more banjo."

Byrnes' three sons play music, and one is a singer-songwriter.

He added that he's looking forward to returning to Wichita Falls.

“For one day, it’s huge. I play for 3,000 to 5,000 people outside and then 300 people in the pub. You won’t see a festival like that in Boston or New York,” he said. “Boston and New York City are full of Irish, and you won’t see a one-day festival like the one in Wichita Falls.”

Byrnes' repertoire for the festival includes 90 percent traditional Irish music and 10 percent of his own music.

“Basically, the songs I will be doing will be happy, jolly songs or slow love songs."

IF YOU GO

When: Byrnes performs at 3:30 p.m. March 11 on the outdoor stage and 8:30 p.m. the same day inside the Iron Horse Pub, 615 Eighth St. The festival opens at 3 p.m. and closes at 11 p.m.

Where: Eighth Street and Indiana Avenue

Admission: $12 in advance, $15 at the gate, $10 in advance for military and students. Admission is free for children 12 and younger who are accompanied by an adult. Advance tickets are available at the Sheppard Air Force Base ITT office, Clark Student Center, Market Street, United, The Iron Horse Pub, 8th Street Coffee House and the Downtown Wichita Falls Development office